email

A while back I pointed out a few things that some websites do that are just plain wrong. Keeping with the “Seriously, don’t do this” theme, the next episode is regarding the ability and method of unsubscribing from an email.

This has been inspired by the living hell that is CBS Sports junk email thanks to filling out a March Madness bracket.

Rules of the unsubscription process #

1. Always have a clear unsubscription method in your email communications, though the myth that it is legally required has been busted, this shows you or your company have at least a shred of decency and respect for your customers. 

I know, dead horse. I’m going to beat the dead horse because somehow the vast majority of people I know are closer to Inbox Infinity than to Inbox Zero. They think it is daunting, overwhelming, or impossible to change; they couldn’t be more wrong.

To be clear, my life doesn’t revolve around email. I don’t get thousands of emails per day, but these practices scale to days where I have gotten a few hundred emails. I never miss an email. Ever. Not seeing an email is not an acceptable excuse in my opinion, though I’d argue I’m in an overwhelming minority here.